Remembrance of Things Past
by Full Shadow Alchemist
Summary: Hinamori considers benefits and consequences of the war. HitsuHina and IkkaNemu. 1/2 of "Thank Your Lucky Stars" series


A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everybody

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everybody! This is in dedication to this special holiday, and my birth day, which took place on the 11****th****. I hope you enjoy this.**

Narration

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Flashback_

**Past Musings**

The water and rose petals in the bowl swirled around Momo's finger as she drew circles in the water absent mindedly. She smiled wistfully as her eyes strayed to the window. Small raindrops started to fall as it began to rain.

She had no one to spend the night with. She had nowhere to go, with nothing to do. This could prove to be dangerous, as her mind tended to stray back to…

The war. Soul Society won in the end, thankfully. But they had lost some of their best fighters. Hitsugaya, Matsumoto and Kurotsuchi.

New captains had been chosen. Everyone had settled down again. But there pasts continued to haunt them. They had all moved on, but they could never forget.

"_Renji Abarai, Captain of squad five, reporting in!"_

"_Izuru Kira, Captain of squad three, reporting in!"_

"_Shuuhei Hisagi, Captain of squad nine, reporting in!"_

_The three male captains let themselves into the captain meeting room just before the meeting started. Ichigo smirked at them. "You just got here before the meeting began. That's a new record, I think."_

"_Watch it! You may be captain of squad ten now, but you can't boss us around like the last guys did!" Renji defied him, annoyance clear on his face, as Kira and Shuuhei took their places._

"_Please, you two!" Momo Hinamori, newly appointed captain of squad twelve, clutched her head and rolled her eyes as the two started bickering. "Can't we ever go through a meeting without you guys arguing throughout?"_

"_Doesn't look like it!" Ichigo grinned at her. She shook her head, defeated. _

"_I give up on you two." She sighed as they whirled to face each other again and opened their mouths. Yamamoto wouldn't let another word escape their mouths, though._

"_Silence, you two! Captain Abarai, please take your place." The older man opened his eyes slightly and glared at them._

"_Yes, sir." Ducking their heads, they answered like sullen school children before Renji scampered across the floor to his spot. Lifting his head, he could easily glare at the disapproving Byakuya Kuchiki. The division leaders were alternating sides, so the captains could easily glare missiles at each other across the room._

"_Let this meeting, commence!" The cane hit the floor, and Captain Komamura immediately stepped forward to address a concern about the misbehaviour among unseated officers of squad five._

_As such, Renji started another argument._

Twirling the red ribbon around her finger, she bit her bottom lip as she smiled slightly at the laughing couple that was Ikkaku Madarame and Nemu Kurotsuchi.

She was glad their string hadn't been cut like hers and Toshiro's. Especially after all Mayuri Kurotsuchi had done to keep them apart.

_It was a well known fact that the third seat of squad eleven adored the lieutenant of division twelve._

_The two head quarters were sitting practically side by side, so he got to see her about every day. Everyone silently cheered them on, as the captain of squad eleven and twelve conspired together to get them closer._

_There was no bitter rivalry between the new captain and Zaraki. She had never feared him, seeing someone who cares about a young girl like Yachiru with such violent protectiveness removed any kind of alarm she may have felt before. Zaraki saw the destructive power behind her Bankai and gave her respect. This mutual understanding led to them discussing two of the strongest members of their squads, and any possible relationships._

_It took a long time to get Nemu to trust. As time went on, though, the wounds began to slowly heal, and the girl found herself laughing at Ikkaku's drunken moments, smile at the Shinigami Women Society meetings, and even crack a joke with her subordinates occasionally. _

_Above all, she could respect herself more, and accept Ikkaku's advances. _

_Now, she__ followed Momo's every order, not out of duty or fear though. She did it out of gratitude and respect. Momo could, now, safely say that Nemu was her fiend._

She watched the two as a small bubble of jealousy had risen in her chest. Shaking it off, she threw back her head and laughed.

'Boy, does life suck!' she thought to herself, and then frowned.

It wasn't fair. Toshiro didn't deserve to die. He had so much to look forward to. He could have perfected his Bankai, and gone on to be Head Captain when Yamamoto passed away. He could have been legendary, even more so than he already was. He could have won the fight, then come to her arms, and remained in them for all eternity.

She'd never marry. After Toshiro, nobody could even begin to match up. This beautiful ring he gave her still sits on her finger, and always will.

They were young. They would have had to wait another decade or so before taking the vow to forever cherish and love one another 'till death do they part. But it would have been so worth it. It all would have.

The way he had proposed was so cute too. He had turned into a tomato and practically mumbled the words out. But he needn't have worried. There was no one else for her.

She made that very clear with her friends.

"_Oooh! That guy over there looks really good, __ne, Hinamori-san?" Rukia smiled at her friend, who had been easily sandwiched between her, Renji, Kira, and Orihime. _

_Momo only shook her head._

"_How many times have I told you guys? I don't want anyone. Nevermore." She sipped her juice from the straw, after being shown the technique by Rukia. Who knew it could be so darn confusing?_

_They were all in gigais, having been invited to a small party at Orihime's. They were currently sitting on a park bench, waiting for Ichigo, Ishida, and Chad to show up before heading over to the human girl's apartment._

"_Don't bug her anymore about it Kuchiki-san." Orihime leaned forward and smiled at Momo. "She doesn't want anyone else. That's okay. She may heal. Or she may remain forever true." These were really in depth words, spoken for someone she had only met that day._

_Momo smiled thankfully at the girl before resuming to drink. "Well hey everyone! Looks like a new face has shown up!" Introductions went around and the subject was dropped._

Fixing her hair into the ponytail she had now adapted after growing it out – and to Yumichika's insistence – she picked up her chopsticks and started to nibble at her teriyaki before there was a knock at the door.

She was met only with a sharp wind wipping past her.

Shrugging her shoulders, she closed the door and turned around to resume eating.

And gasped.

"How are you..?" Was all she managed to say.

"Urahara needed to remove some poison contained in our blood streams and forgot to tell everyone about it. Kurotsuchi was the only one of us three who died, so I guess you can keep your position." He spoke with such confidence she couldn't help but gaze in dumbstruck wonder.

"Honestly Hinamori," the familiar voice said. "Becoming a captain? Now how can I protect you if you're at the same level as me? Do I need to become Captain-General now?"

He had certainly changed. He was taller now, about a head higher than her. His face featured sharper features, and his body matured with age. Emerald eyes remained the same, but burned even more intensely. For her.

He scowled. "Great, you lost weight too." Grasping her hand with his own, he tugged her out the door and then closed it with is other hand, all in one fluid motion.

Pulling her along the street, the only thing she could bring herself to say was, "Where are we going?"

"To a restaurant." He glanced back at her dazed face and smiled gently.

"Didn't I tell you to take care of yourself while I was gone?"

**Fin.**

- -

**A/N: There are a few things I wanna talk about first.**

**Bowl and rose petals: I don't know the details, but the story goes that by placing three rose petals in a bowl of water in such a position the ripples in the water stop, then you sleep with them under your pillow, you will see the one you marry in your dreams.**

**Red ribbon: A Japanese legend says that people born from birth who are destined to be, have a red ribbon attached to each other from birth to death. When one of them dies, the ribbon is cut in half. **

**Teriyaki: is yummy. Enough said.**

**I hope you liked it. **


End file.
